Invalid&#39;s tool



Sept. 8, 1959 A. D. AHN

INVALID'S TOOL Filed Nov. 1, 1957 Albert 0. A/m

INVENTOR.

United Sttes 2,903,170 Patented Sept. 8, 1959 INVALIDS TOOL Albert D. Ahn, Honolulu, Hawaii Application November 1, 1957, Serial No. 693,893

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-111) This invention relates to a tool which is particularly, although not exclusively, useful for patients who cannot bend their legs or back.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tool which facilitates any number of duties by persons who are handicapped to the extent that it is either not possible or very uncomfortable to do these things in the ordinary way. More particularly, a person who cannot bend his leg or back will find it exceedingly difficult to put on a pair of socks. My tool is made of a pair of parallel members with individual hand grips at one pair of ends and a pair of brackets at the opposite ends. These brackets are capable of nesting with each other so that an object, for example a pair of socks, may be clamped between the brackets. The brackets are open in the center, thereby holding the sock with an open, generally oval end, materially expediting the application of the sock onto the foot and leg of the person. This is one example of a use of my invention. Others which have been successfully tried are very numerous and include the removal of the socks, reaching items that are too far to reach without the extension that my tool provides, and I have even shifted the gear change lever in an automobile that has the old style conventional shift.

It is appreciated that any number of tasks can be performed with my tool and I do not intend to limit my tool to any specific use. Many others will occur to those having need of such a tool. I wish to mention, though, that the brackets at the extremities of the sliding members not only form an opening when holding one stocking, but the surfaces between the nested brackets form a pair of jaws within which practically anything that is of sufficiently small size may be clamped.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective View of my tool showing it in use;

Figure 2 is an elevational side view of the tool;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View showing the tool clamping a stocking;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 and showing principally the relationship of the brackets.

In the accompanying drawing there is a tool or appliance which is constructed to demonstrate the principles of the invention. It has a pair of comparatively slidable members 12 and 14- which are illustrated as being of lightweight tubular stock. Member 12 has a handle 16 at one end, and member 14 has a handle 18 at the same end. The handles are shaped so that they are capable of being gripped in the hands of the user. Therefore, the handles are constructed of extensions of members 12 and 14. However, they are angulated at about 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis of each member. The extremities 20 and 22 of handles 16 and 18 are at approximately right angles to the same axes.

There are means connected between the members 12 and 14 for slidably connecting the members. These means comprise collars 24 and 26. They are welded or otherwise fastened to the member 12 and have member 14 passed therethrough (Figure 4). Therefore, the members are constrained in their movement to motion parallel to the longitudinal axes of the members.

The opposite extremity of member 12 has a U-shaped end 28 which accommodates a U-shaped bracket 30. The bracket is welded or otherwise fastened at its midpoint 32 to the extremity of end 28 and is preferably generally oval in plan form. U-shaped member forming bracket 34 is fastened at its midpoint to the lower end of slidable member 14 and is of slightly larger cross sectional dimensions than bracket 30. This is so that bracket 30 can be nested within the area enclosed by bracket 34. Then the surfaces 35 and 37 between brackets can function as a pair of jaws within which to clamp any object. Since the principal example of articles handled by my invention has been described as a stocking or sock, I have illus trated sock 38 whose upper end is contained between the jaw surfaces of bracket 30 and 34 (Figure 3).

In using my appliance, the sock 38 is applied between the jaws that are formed by brackets 30 and 34, and the appliance is held in the hand of the user. Handles 16 and 18 can be manipulated to open and close the clamps. As shown in Figure 1, the actual application of the sock is achieved by pulling it on. Thereafter, handles 16 and 18 can be opened to release the sock.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An appliance to facilitate the application of socks and to facilitate the performance of a number of other tasks, said appliance comprising a pair of elongate members, at least one collar slidably connecting said members together and constraining the movement of said members with respect to each other, a first generally U-shaped bracket secured to one of said members at its outer end, a second generally U-shaped bracket secured to the corresponding end of the other member, said brackets individually movable with said elongate members and in one position fitting within each other to provide a pair of jaws to grip an article, said first U-shaped bracket being smaller than said second U-shaped bracket, and said U- shaped brackets opening in the same direction and being in alignment with each other.

2. An appliance to facilitate the application of socks and to facilitate the performance of a number of other tasks, said appliance comprising a pair of members, means for slidably connecting said members together and constraining the movement of said members with respect to each other, a first generally U-shaped bracket secured to one of said members at its outer end, a second generally U-shaped bracket secured to the corresponding end of the other member, said brackets individually movable with said members and in one position fitting within each other and having confronting surfaces which provide a pair of jaws to grip an article, said first U-shaped bracket being smaller than said second U-shaped bracket, and said U-shaped brackets opening in the same direction and being in alignment with each other, a pair of handles at the opposite ends of said members, and said handles parallel to each other and constructed of angulated end portions of said members.

3. An appliance to aid in the application of a sock and to perform sundry jobs, said appliance comprising a pair of contacting members that are longitudinally movable with respect to each other, a pair of U-shaped brackets at one pair of ends of said members, one of said members having a U-shaped extremity on whose end one of said brackets is fastened, the other of said brackets fastened directly to the other of said members, said brackets being in alignment with each other and one of said brackets being smaller than the other of said brackets fitting in nested relationship With each other and having jaw-forming surfaces that confront each other when said brackets are nested.

References (liter! in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,021,290 Althouse Mar. 26, 1912 1,315,096 Deily Sept. 2, 1919 1,508,641 Boesrup Sept. 16, 1924- 2,443,115 Park June 8, 1948 2,628,007 Meling Feb. 10, 1953 

